#114 Postby lurkey » Thu Jun 07, 2007 11:07 am
Paris Hilton out of prison for medical reasons
Thu Jun 7, 2007 8:47 PM IST
By Steve Gorman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hotel heiress Paris Hilton was released from prison on Thursday for medical reasons after serving just over three days of a 23-day sentence but she will be confined to her home for 40 days, officials said.
Steve Whitmore of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's office said Hilton had been "reassigned" but he declined to identify her medical condition for privacy reasons.
"With extensive consultation with medical personnel it was decided this reassignment should be done," Whitmore said at a news conference.
Hilton, a symbol of privilege and American celebrity culture, was serving a sentence for violating probation after being caught driving with a suspended license. She will have to wear an electronic monitoring device on her ankle to ensure she does not go out for the next 40 days.
One reporter described Hilton's job as going to parties and events and asked if she would be allowed to leave her home for work, just as lifestyle media star Martha Stewart could during her five months under house arrest for insider trading.
"My understanding is that she's confined to her home with an ankle bracelet, she cannot leave that facility," said Whitmore. "She will fulfil the remainder of her time confined to her home."
The 26-year-old hotel Hilton Hotel heiress and star of reality television show "The Simple Life" was originally sentenced to 45 days in prison. That was later reduced to 23 days under state sentencing guidelines.
Hilton was arrested on charges of drunken driving in September. In January, she pleaded no contest -- the equivalent of a guilty plea -- to a reduced charge of alcohol-related reckless driving. She was sentenced to three years' probation and had her license suspended.
But she was caught driving on a suspended license in February, when police stopped her for speeding and with her headlights off at night. A traffic court judge ruled on May 4 that Hilton's latest offence constituted a probation violation.
SHORT-TIMER
Hilton turned herself in late on Sunday night, just hours after attending the MTV Movie Awards near Hollywood, where she was the butt of comedians' jokes.
She was released in the early hours of Thursday and Whitmore said she would be credited with five days incarceration, including Sunday and Thursday, even though she actually only spent three full days in prison.
Before she entered prison, a contrite Hilton, whose great-grandfather, Conrad, started the global Hilton Hotel empire, was photographed carrying a Bible.
"This is an important point in my life and I need to take responsibility for my actions. In the future, I plan on taking more of an active role in the decisions I make ... Although I am scared, I am ready to begin my jail sentence," she said.
She was housed in a unit for celebrities and high-profile inmates at a prison in Lynwood, about 15 miles (24 km) from Los Angeles.
Hecht said Hilton was kept alone in her cell, an enclosure 8 feet (2.4 meters) wide, 12 feet (3.7 meters) deep and 8 feet (2.4 meters) high, equipped with two bunks, a sink, a small table, a slit window and a metal toilet.
Hilton's booking photo showed her dressed in a white V-neck top, wearing eye makeup and lip gloss with a slight smile, her blond hair swept to one side over her right shoulder.
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